Editing West Ham United F.C. (section)

===Origins===
{{main|Thames Ironworks F.C.}}
[[File:ThamesIronworksFC.gif|thumb|right|200px|Earliest club shot, during its founding year as Thames Ironworks in 1895]]
The earliest generally accepted incarnation of West Ham United was founded in 1895 as [[Thames Ironworks F.C.]], the [[works team]] of the largest and last surviving shipbuilder on the Thames, [[Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company]], by foreman and local league referee [[Dave Taylor (Thames Ironworks F.C. founder)|Dave Taylor]] and owner [[Arnold Hills]]<ref name="Spartacus1">{{Cite web |title=The History of West Ham United 1895–1896 |url=http://spartacus-educational.com/WHhistory1.htm |access-date=15 August 2009 |publisher=Spartacus Educational}}</ref> and was announced in the ''Thames Ironworks Gazette'' of June 1895. Thames Ironworks was based in [[Leamouth|Leamouth Wharf]] in [[Blackwall, London|Blackwall]] and [[Canning Town]] on both banks of the [[River Lea]], where the [[River Lea|Lea]] meets the [[River Thames|Thames]]. Thames Ironworks built many ships and other structures, the most famous being {{HMS|Warrior|1860|6}}. The last ship built there was the [[dreadnought]] {{HMS|Thunderer|1911|6}} in 1912 and the yard shut soon after.

The repair yard of the [[Union-Castle Line|Castle Shipping Line]] was a very near neighbour and their work team, initially known as the [[Old Castle Swifts F.C.|Castle Swifts]], would informally merge with the Thames Ironworks own team.

The team played on a strictly amateur basis for 1895 at least, with a team featuring a number of works employees. Thomas Freeman was a ships fireman and Walter Parks, a clerk. [[Johnny Stewart (footballer, born 1872)|Johnny Stewart]], [[Walter Tranter]] and [[Jamie Lindsay (footballer, born 1870)|James Lindsay]] were all boilermakers. Other employees included William Chapman, [[George Sage (footballer)|George Sage]] and Fred Chamberlain, as well as apprentice riveter [[Charlie Dove]], who was to have a great influence on the club's future at a later date.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dale |first=Iain |title=West Ham: A Nostalgic Look at a Century of the Club |date=1 August 2011 |publisher=Haynes Publishing |isbn=978-0-857330-45-1 |page=10}}</ref>

{| style="float:left;"
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| leftarm    = 000066
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| title      = 1895–96: First kit<ref>{{Cite web |title=West Ham United |url=http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/West_Ham_United/West_Ham_United.htm |access-date=12 September 2014}}</ref>
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Thames Ironworks won the [[West Ham Charity Cup]], contested by clubs in the [[West Ham]] locality, in 1895, then won the [[London League (football)|London League]] in 1897. They turned professional in 1898 upon entering the [[Southern Football League|Southern League]] Second Division, and were promoted to the First Division at the first attempt.<ref name="Stats1">'{{Cite web |last=Richard Rundle |title=Source for Thames Ironworks statistics |url=https://www.fchd.info/THAMEIRO.HTM |access-date=15 August 2009 |publisher=Football Club History Database}}</ref> The following year they came second from bottom, but had established themselves as a fully-fledged competitive team. They comfortably fended off the challenge of local rivals [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]] in a relegation play-off, 5–1 in late April 1900 and retained their First Division status.<ref name="Stats1" />

The team initially played in full dark blue kits, as inspired by Mr. Hills, who had been an Oxford University "[[University Sporting Blue|Blue]]", but changed the following season by adopting the sky blue shirts and white shorts combination worn from 1897 to 1899.

Following growing disputes over the running and financing of the club, in June 1900 Thames Ironworks F.C. was disbanded, then almost immediately relaunched as West Ham United F.C. – reflecting the [[West Ham]], London district where they played – on 5 July 1900 with [[Syd King]] as their manager and future manager [[Charlie Paynter]] as his assistant. Because of the original "works team" roots and links (still represented upon the club badge), they are still known as "the Irons" or "the Hammers" amongst fans and the media.<ref name="EastLon">{{Cite web |title=East London History regarding Thames Ironworks |url=http://www.eastlondonhistory.com/thames%20ironworks.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060213220605/http://www.eastlondonhistory.com/thames%20ironworks.htm |archive-date=13 February 2006 |publisher=EastLondonHistory.com }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pg24, citing study into West Hams community ties |url=http://www.lmu.ac.uk/ces/lss/lsa/All%20abstracts.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050117001255/http://www.lmu.ac.uk/ces/lss/lsa/All%20abstracts.pdf |archive-date=17 January 2005 |publisher=Leeds Metropolitan University }}</ref>